Oil changes with warranty

[benhar]

I'm at 40,000 miles now and am ready to start changing the oil myself, because the b2b warranty is up and I'm tired of driving 45 minutes one way for an oil change just so it can be documented by the dealer. I'm also starting to change it every 3k miles instead of 5k since my highway driving has gotten proportionately lower recently, which makes it even more aggravating to make the drive. Problem is, I'm still a little hesitant to do it myself since I still have 20k miles on my powertrain warranty. Am I really running any risk, or should I feel safe in going ahead and doing it myself?

 

[mav75]

Personally, I'm pretty anal about service records. They're a great selling point for when the time comes. I've always been one to have the dealer do the service; it gives me that nice warm fuzzy feeling.

However, my drive to the dealer is only about 20 minutes. So for your convenience, you might want to investigate whether or not oil changes from a reputable company like Jiffy Lube, Sears, or Midas (you get the idea) would be considered as acceptable maintenance for warranty purposes.

 

[Bobby]

Jiffy lube and reputable in the same sentence??? :awais:

If you have receipts of all the materials for maintenance and keep a log, you should be fine. If you use full synthetic oil, you can go 7-10k miles w/o problems. There's a ton of info on this board if you use the search tool.

I've been doing all the oil changes myself since I bought my 4runner a year ago. 500 miles, 4000, 10k and now I'm at 14k and don't plan on another oil change until about 20k miles. I use Castrol SynTec 5w40 and buy them by the case (6 cases actually).

 

[mav75]

Jiffy lube and reputable in the same sentence??? :awais:

OK, maybe not the best example, but places like that which are better.

 

[jeober]

benhar,

I put in an oil drain valve. And with the up high filter [on the V6] oil changes are a snap with no mess.

You are wise to change at 3,000 miles. There is nothing better for engine life than clean SM rated 5W-30 oil period (emphasis on clean).

Just document your maintenance in a log and keep your receipts.

 

[peter78]

A few years ago Toyota was having sludge problems with the 3.0 V6. They got anal about who to cover. They would not cover the fast lube place and the do it yourselfers. After a while they gave everyone a 8 year extended warranty on the engines against sludge. They also covered the fast lube places IF you have the reciept. Also, they said they would cover the do it yourselfers if you have reciepts for the filter and oil.

I buy filters and oil in bulk. I always wondered if they would cover me. I buy filters by the dozen and oil by the case. In any event they seem to of ease up a bit on oil changes.